People who raise and work with horses in St. Clair County say a vaccine developed several years ago is making the incidence of West Nile virus in horses increasingly uncommon.

“There hasn’t really been an issue since the vaccine was developed,” Dr. Jessica Younk of the Blue Water Equine Hospital in Emmett said. “The West Nile vaccine is recommended for all their horses. It is very effective in fighting the disease.”

The West Nile virus is blamed for the recent death of an 8-year-old horse near Traverse City; the virus, which can infect people, also killed several turkeys in Ingham County.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development recommends horses receive the vaccine and yearly boosters.

The West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes. It is not always fatal in horses, but there is no cure for the disease once an animal is infected.

Nancy Frank, assistant state veterinarian, said people should takes steps to protect themselves and their animals from mosquito bites.

She said the recent equine case “does raise some concern and some awareness.

“People don’t generally get this, but horses are generally outside more than humans.”

Deana Gafken, who has horses at the Quarter Scale Farm near Emmett, said her horses have received the vaccine, but not recently.

“I never heard of anything local,” Gafken said. “It came close about seven years ago, but I haven’t heard anything recently.”

Gafken added she quit the West Nile booster vaccines after a stallion received the shot and became sterile. She said she doesn’t have issues with mosquitoes near because the ground is sandy, so it stays dry.

“I’m more concerned with things like EPM (equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, which affects the central nervous system),” Gafken said. “I had a friend lose a mare recently.”

Younk said horses can become sterile for any number of reasons, and it’s difficult to say it was a cause-and-effect situation.

“Vaccines with horses are very routine,” Younk said. “They’re no different than vaccines in a child.”

She said EPM is something that horse owners need to be careful about, but it’s difficult to prevent. Some horses consume hay that has been contaminated by the protozoa that causes the disease and are fine, while others die.

“It’s hard to get a solid diagnosis,” Younk said.

The most common concern for horses is intestinal dysfunction, commonly known as a horse colic, according to Younk. She said she has seen a lot of cases this year.

“I think the continuously shifting weather temperatures and the amount of a moisture have increased issues,” Younk said.

Contact Nicholas Grenke at (810) 989-6261 or ngrenke@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickSJ86.

TIPS FOR HORSE CARE

HOW TO AVOID THE WEST NILE VIRUS

If possible place horses in barns or stables under fans during dusk, dawn, and other times when mosquitoes are present

Eliminate mosquito breeding areas including wet areas of pasture

Fill in puddles

Repair gutters and downspouts to prevent pooling around building foundations

Empty containers that might hold small pools of water where mosquitoes can breed